Jane Thornthwaite

Jane Thornthwaite
MLA
Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly
for North Vancouver-Seymour
Assumed office
May 12, 2009
Preceded by Daniel Jarvis
Personal details
Born 1958/1959 (age 59–60)[1]
Political party BC Liberal
Residence North Vancouver, British Columbia
Occupation Politician, dietitian, activist

Jane Thornthwaite (born 1958 or 1959) is a Canadian politician and activist who was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2009 provincial election. In 2017 she was re-elected to a third term as member of the BC Liberal Party in the riding of North Vancouver-Seymour. Thornthwaite currently serves as the Official Opposition's critic role on Mental Health and Addictions and has been appointed to the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts.[2]

Background

Thornthwaite was raised in West Vancouver, attending Hillside Secondary School and also in North Vancouver, attending Windsor Secondary School. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in health education. Prior to her election to the legislature, Thornthwaite worked as a registered dietitian and nutritionist for her own consulting business.[3] According to Thornthwaite, working in that field fostered a sense of advocacy for organic foods[4] and a desire for labelling of food products containing genetically modified ingredients.[5] During that time she raised three children of her own.

Local Politics

In 2005, Thornthwaite stood as an independent[6] in the North Vancouver School District election. She received the most votes, making her one of four candidates elected from the District of North Vancouver.[6] The school board, facing declining enrollments, had to close schools, though there was resistance from the community. Balmoral Junior Secondary School was specifically identified as a school that ought to be closed, though the board refused and kept it open (until 2009) due to public pressure.[7] Thornthwaite, along with another board member, issued a public statement criticizing the board's decision to enter into a public-private partnership to deliver courses specializing in dance, figure skating and other related disciplines.[8] In the November 2008 election, Thornthwaite was the only board member seeking re-election.[9] Entering her second term, Thornthwaite was elected chairperson of the board.

Provincial politics

Election

In March 2009, long-time Member of the Legislative Assembly Dan Jarvis suddenly announced his retirement and endorsed Thornthwaite to replace him as a candidate in the upcoming provincial election, a recommendation later supported by the party's election readiness committee.[10][11][12] In the election, Thornthwaite faced substance abuse counsellor Mo Norton for the NDP, software developer Daniel Quinn for the Green Party, and Gary Hee for the BC Conservatives. The electoral district was considered one of the safest BC Liberal ridings in the province[12] and the 50-year-old Thornthwaite easily won, with her BC Liberal Party winning a majority government. Thornthwaite stayed on as chair of the school board until July 2009.[13]

As the 39th Parliament, Thornthwaite was appointed to three committees but was left out of Premier Gordon Campbell's cabinet.[14] In all four session she served on the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services which travelled the province listening to public input, and provided recommendations for the provincial budget priorities. She served on the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth in the first two sessions. She was appointed to the Select Standing Committee on Education in the first, second and fourth sessions and the Select Standing Committee on Legislative Initiatives in the third and fourth sessions but neither committee held a meeting.

DUI

On February 22, during the 2010 Winter Olympics, Thornthwaite was driving home after attending receptions at the Northern House and Sochi House when at 1 am she was stopped at a road block near the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing. She twice registered a blood alcohol content of 0.11 in road-side breathalyzer tests and was arrested for drunk driving.[15][16] The next day she issued a public apology stating "Drinking and driving is dangerous and completely unacceptable; I know that and make no excuses for what I did. I know what I did was wrong and I will take full responsibility for my actions."[17] At the trial, Thornthwaite argued that, while she did consume alcohol, she was not intoxicated.[16] The prosecution and defense agreed to a plea bargain requiring Thornthwaite to plead guilty to "driving without due care and attention" in violation of the Motor Vehicle Act, which came with a $500 fine and one-month of community service while allowing Thornthwaite to avoid a criminal record.[16][18]

Taxes

Thornthwaite's support for the Harmonized Sales Tax, as well as her drunk-driving charge, made her a target for recall.[19][20] The FightHST group collected 6,903 signatures from her riding in support of repealing the HST[21] and placed Thornthwaite on their list of 18 BC Liberals to investigate for potential recall.[22] In the subsequent HST referendum her riding voted 60% in favour of keeping the HST, though the final province-wide result was 55% against keeping it. Early in the BC Liberal leadership election, Thornthwaite endorsed George Abbott.[23] Christy Clark won the party leadership, and became Premier, but did not include Thornthwaite in her cabinet.[24]

Animal welfare

In 2012, Thornthwaite introduced legislation banning puppy mills in British Columbia, Bill M-214, known as the "Standards of Care for Breeders of Companion Animals Act".[25] [26] The bill did not pass initially, but Thornthwaite re-introduced it in 2016 after a government raid rescued 66 mistreated dogs from a puppy mill.[27][28] The bill passed that April.[29]

Re-election

Jane Thornthwaite was re-elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing North Vancouver-Seymour for a third term in May 2017 with 47 percent of the vote.[30] The Liberal Party's representative has typically won the vote for the North Vancouver-Seymour seat.[30] As part of the BC Liberal Party, Thornthwaite serves as a member of the Official Opposition.[31] She was appointed as official Opposition Critic for Mental Health and Addictions, a role similar to her prior work as Parliamentary Secretary of Mental Health for Children.[32]

Electoral history

British Columbia general election, 2017: North Vancouver-Seymour
Party Candidate Votes%
LiberalJane Thornthwaite11,70547.16
New DemocraticMichael Rene Charrois8,45234.05
GreenJoshua Johnson4,45117.93
LibertarianClayton Welwood2120.85
Total valid votes 24,820100.00
Source: Elections BC[33]
B.C. General Election 2013: North Vancouver-Seymour
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
LiberalJane Thornthwaite13,18650.92$111,404
New DemocraticJim Hanson8,52432.92$86,982
GreenDaniel Scott Smith1,8977.33–$350
ConservativeBrian R. Wilson1,2064.66$9,255
IndependentJaime Alexandra Webbe1,0814.17$3,800
Total valid votes 25,894 100%
Total rejected ballots 89 0.34%
Turnout 25,983 66.99%
B.C. General Election 2009: North Vancouver-Seymour
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
LiberalJane Thornthwaite13,42659$57,237
New DemocraticMaureen Norton6,21227$17,589
GreenDaniel Quinn2,1169–$350
ConservativeGary Bickling Hee9314$1,186
Total Valid Votes 22,685 100
Total Rejected Ballots 100 0.4
Turnout 22,785 61

References

  1. ↑ Thornthwaite pleads to lesser charge than drunk driving Seyd, Jane. North Shore News [North Vancouver, B.C] 13 Apr 2011: 1.
  2. ↑ Jane Thornthwaite, BC Legislative Assembly
  3. ↑ "All-candidates meetings". North Shore News. North Vancouver, British Columbia. November 6, 2005. p. 14.
  4. ↑ "New documentary reveals the perils of processed foods". WestEnder. Vancouver. May 26, 2005. p. 30.
  5. ↑ Gillett, Leslie (February 10, 1997). "What's in that spud? Genetically altered food concerns nutritionist". The Province. Vancouver. p. B3.
  6. 1 2 Seyd, Jane (November 23, 2005). "NV school board gets three new trustees". North Shore News. North Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 5.
  7. ↑ Steffenhagen, Janet (December 7, 2007). "Trustees advised to close schools; Report says Balmoral junior secondary should be first to close its doors due to declining enrollment". The Vancouver Sun. Vancouver. p. B5.
  8. ↑ Weldon, James (May 20, 2007). "Two NV trustees object to Pro-Merita program lease". North Shore News. North Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 1.
  9. ↑ Neufeld, Scott (October 31, 2008). "In Profile: District of North Vancouver school board candidates". The North Shore Outlook. North Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 8.
  10. ↑ "Retired Liberal MLA Dan Jarvis endorses Thornthwaite as his successor". The North Shore Outlook. North Vancouver, British Columbia. March 26, 2009. p. 1.
  11. ↑ "Thornthwaite to run as Liberal candidate in North Vancouver-Seymour". The North Shore Outlook. North Vancouver, British Columbia. April 7, 2009. p. 1.
  12. 1 2 Seyd, Jane (April 8, 2009). "Liberals pick Thornthwaite for Seymour". North Shore News. North Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 1.
  13. ↑ McManus, Kelly (June 12, 2009). "Thornthwaite steps down as school board chair". The North Shore Outlook. North Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 1.
  14. ↑ Pi, Daniel (June 10, 2009). "Rookie MLA Yamamoto earns seat on cabinet". The North Shore Outlook. North Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 1.
  15. ↑ Hunter, Justine (February 24, 2010). "B.C. MLA facing impaired driving charges". The Globe and Mail. p. S7.
  16. 1 2 3 Seyd, Jane (April 14, 2011). "'Time to move on,' MLA says after avoiding criminal record". The Vancouver Sun. p. A11.
  17. ↑ "Special prosecutor approves impaired-driving charges against MLA Thornthwaite". The Vancouver Sun. April 29, 2010. Archived from the original on March 21, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  18. ↑ Seyd, Jane (April 13, 2011). "MLA avoids criminal record after pleading guilty to minor offence". The Province. Vancouver. p. A23.
  19. ↑ Bell, Bill (August 28, 2010). "What three letters trump HST? DUI". North Shore News. North Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 6.
  20. ↑ Seyd, Jane (September 26, 2010). "Recall campaign could target MLAs Thornthwaite, McIntyre". North Shore News. North Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 1.
  21. ↑ Alldritt, Benjamin (August 13, 2010). "MLAs targeted for recall vote; Anti-HST campaigners plan to force North Van reps from office". North Shore News. North Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 1.
  22. ↑ Seyd, Jane (September 15, 2010). "HST to go to provincial referendum; Fight-HST organizers vow to go ahead with recall campaigns". North Shore News. North Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 1.
  23. ↑ Seyd, Jane; Kerry Blackadar (February 2, 2011). "MLAs make leadership choices". North Shore News. North Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 1.
  24. ↑ Hoekstra, Greg (March 14, 2011). "North Van MLA nets new cabinet position". The North Shore Outlook. North Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 1.
  25. ↑ "MLA wants law to target puppy mills". Times-Colonist. Jan 13, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  27. ↑ "Smyth: Victoria moving on tough new rules for commercial dog and cat breeders". The Province. November 16, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  28. ↑ "New puppy mill law would give SPCA the 'teeth' to go after bad breeders". CBC News. February 18, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  29. ↑ "B.C. adopts national standards for kennel and cattery operations, licensing could come next". CBC News. April 24, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  30. 1 2 Richter, Brent (May 9, 2017). "UPDATED: Thornthwaite re-elected in North Vancouver-Seymour". North Shore News. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  31. ↑ Seyd, Jane. "'Help is on the way' says North Vancouver Lonsdale MLA". North Shore News. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  32. ↑ Richter, Brent. "Two North Shore Liberal MLAs join shadow cabinet". North Shore News. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  33. ↑ "2017 Provincial General Election Preliminary Voting Results". Elections BC. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
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